[Interview] CEO Choi Seonghyun: "A Project to Open the Next Decade... Making Gangwon a Global Destination Once Again"

Choi Seonghyun, CEO of Gangwon Tourism Foundation
Leveraging Eased Regulations in Border and Former Mining Areas to Become a Global Tourism Destination
"Residents Are Our Strength" ... Announcing a Major Shift to Global Tourism with 'Gangwon The Wonderful'
Driving Repeat Visits with CRM and Experiential Content ... Aiming for World-Class Tourism
Proclaiming '2025-2026 Visit Gangwon Year' ... Laying the Foundation for a Thriving Tourism Economy

"I believe that Gangwon's greatest competitive strength lies not in its natural environment or systems, but in its residents. Tourism, at its core, is about people welcoming people. The warm hospitality and genuine kindness of our residents are the reasons visitors choose to return to Gangwon."

Choi Seonghyun, CEO of Gangwon Tourism Foundation, stated in an interview with The Asia Business Daily on the 4th at the foundation's CEO office, "The '2025-2026 Visit Gangwon Year' is not just a simple event, but a long-term project aimed at realizing a 'people-centered Gangwon' and reestablishing tourism competitiveness."

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and the Gangwon Tourism Foundation have designated 2025 and 2026 as the "Visit Gangwon Years" to lay the groundwork for the next decade of Gangwon tourism, launching a large-scale project targeting 200 million domestic and international tourists. CEO Choi plans to leverage institutional opportunities, such as the launch of the Special Self-Governing Province, to globalize peace and ecological tourism in border areas and transform former mining regions into hubs of culture and leisure, thereby establishing a foundation for Gangwon's next ten years of tourism. He expressed strong ambitions to achieve real innovation in the tourism industry structure through concrete initiatives such as selecting "Recommended Destinations of the Month," launching the "Gangwon Accommodation Festival," and introducing a CRM system to encourage longer stays. The following is a Q&A with Choi Seonghyun, CEO of Gangwon Tourism Foundation.

Choi Seonghyun, CEO of Gangwon Tourism Foundation, stated in an interview with The Asia Business Daily on the 4th at the foundation's CEO office that the "2025-2026 Visit Gangwon Year" is not just a simple event but a long-term project aimed at realizing a "people-centered Gangwon" and reestablishing tourism competitiveness.

- What are the core initiatives of the '2025-2026 Visit Gangwon Year'?

"To consistently promote Gangwon's attractions throughout the year, we select one or two cities or counties each month as 'Recommended Destinations of the Month' and focus on promoting them in conjunction with local festivals and events. All 18 cities and counties participate, showcasing different themes and regional characteristics each season. We are also launching the 'Gangwon Accommodation Festival' in collaboration with online travel agencies (OTAs), providing discount coupons for accommodation and admission tickets to boost Gangwon-style stay tourism. In addition, we are promoting practical travel-inducing initiatives such as tourism programs linked to national sports and cultural events, operating tourism taxis for foreign independent travelers (FIT), and developing long-stay content. In particular, the introduction of a CRM system and membership program based on tourist data is central to our strategy to encourage repeat visits and build a sustainable tourism foundation for Gangwon. Besides Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, the 18 cities and counties, and the Gangwon Tourism Foundation, a '2025-2026 Visit Gangwon Year Support Council' has been established, involving local investment and affiliated organizations, to promote multi-faceted cooperation."

- How are you promoting the Visit Gangwon Year domestically and internationally?

"Our promotional strategy is divided into three main pillars: domestic promotion, overseas marketing, and digital-based promotion. Domestically, we focus on increasing public accessibility through the proclamation ceremony, promotion linked to local festivals, the release of promotional BI and campaign videos, and the production of digital content for SNS and YouTube. Internationally, we participate in global events such as the Taiwan Tourism Expo and directly promote Gangwon’s attractions through local briefings and roadshows. We are also actively pursuing customized marketing that incorporates content favored by foreigners, such as Korean Wave, wellness, and winter sports. Online, we have strengthened the provision of practical information such as travel guides, discounts, and events through our official website and SNS."

- What is the rationale for carrying out such a large-scale project over two years?

"The Visit Gangwon Year is not just a one-off event, but a long-term project to redefine Gangwon’s tourism competitiveness. Our goal is to promote balanced regional development and build a global tourism brand that combines Gangwon’s nature, culture, sports, and leisure. Through this project, we are determined to expand stay-based tourism, increase foreign tourist arrivals, revitalize the local economy sustainably, and achieve real innovation in the tourism industry structure. Gangwon’s plan is to become a world-class destination that visitors want to return to, not just visit once. Currently, day trips account for a large portion of Gangwon tourism. To address this, the foundation is encouraging the expansion of high-quality accommodation, developing night tourism and media facade 'killer content' to allow tourists to stay for at least two nights and three days, and strengthening stay-based tourism infrastructure. We are also enhancing 'global target customized marketing' by developing tailored products for both core markets like China and Japan and emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and Europe. In particular, we plan to attract more foreign visitors by strengthening experiential programs linked to K-Culture. Additionally, we aim to uncover the hidden charms of each city and county, beyond just Seoraksan and the East Sea. For example, we will foster regionally distinctive brands such as 'Oxygen Road Tourism,' which combines mountain leisure and wellness, and 'Peace and Ecological Tourism' near the DMZ, to invigorate the local economy."

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and Gangwon Tourism Foundation are holding the proclamation ceremony for the '2025-2026 Visit Gangwon Year.' Photo by Gangwon Tourism Foundation

- What do you mean when you say 'the greatest competitive strength of Gangwon is its residents'?

"I believe the greatest competitive strength of Gangwon lies not in its natural environment or systems, but in its residents. At its core, tourism is about people welcoming people. What leaves a lasting impression on visitors to Gangwon is the hospitality and sincerity of our residents. This experience is the decisive reason why people choose to return to Gangwon. For Gangwon’s tourism to continue growing, residents must take the lead in creating friendly and trustworthy tourism services. Under the philosophy that 'the power of our residents is Gangwon’s brand,' the foundation is working to realize people-centered tourism and build Gangwon tourism together with our residents. The future we envision for Gangwon through tourism goes beyond simply increasing visitor numbers; it is connected to revitalizing the local economy, increasing residents’ income, and addressing regional depopulation. We plan to strengthen Gangwon’s future competitiveness by fostering high value-added tourism industries such as workation, MICE, and cruise tourism."

- What changes and opportunities have emerged in tourism policy since the launch of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province?

"The launch of the Special Self-Governing Province has provided a new institutional foundation for Gangwon’s tourism industry. In border areas, regulatory easing is enabling the globalization of 'peace, ecology, and security tourism.' Under Article 21 of the Gangwon Special Act, military-related regulations in border regions have been relaxed, allowing for the rapid development of various tourism initiatives at the provincial level, such as expanding the DMZ Peace Road, creating ecological trails, and developing security experience content. In former mining areas, the expansion of designated promotion zones is enabling their transformation into 'complex culture and leisure hubs.' Article 20 of the Gangwon Special Act has made it easier to develop stay-based tourism infrastructure such as cultural and arts complexes, theme parks, and wellness resorts on abandoned mines and idle sites. The foundation is working to disperse tourism demand across all 18 cities and counties, rather than concentrating it in specific areas, by selecting 'Recommended Destinations of the Month' and conducting joint promotions to spread the benefits of tourism throughout the region."

- What are the causes and solutions for the recent phenomenon where the number of visitors to Gangwon has increased but tourism spending has decreased?

"This can be attributed to two main reasons. First, travel trends have shifted from stay-based tourism to short, frequent, and nearby experiential trips (day trips), resulting in a decrease in tourism spending such as accommodation sales. Second, external factors have also played a role. For example, the drought in Gangneung led to the cancellation of major festivals, causing a significant drop in local stays and additional spending during that period, which resulted in a revenue gap for the region. In response, the foundation is expanding content that can increase the length of stay and strengthening Gangwon-style experiential, night, and wellness tourism."

- What specialized content is Gangwon focusing on developing?

"We are focusing on experiential content to increase visitors’ length of stay and boost spending. In particular, we are prioritizing Gangwon night tourism, such as starlight yoga, and expanding vegan lifestyle experiences that leverage Gangwon’s pristine nature. Representative examples include operating healing programs in collaboration with local temples and hosting the Gangwon Vegan Again event. Gangwon night tourism (starlight yoga) was held in four cities and counties, attracting 899 participants and generating over 110,000 related content views. Healing programs linked with Samwunsa, Cheongpyeongsa, and Sinheungsa temples recorded participant satisfaction rates in the high 90% range. The foundation plans to further strengthen experiential and stay-based content that highlights Gangwon’s unique appeal."

Gangwon Tourism Foundation is holding the 'Meeting with Foreign Ambassadors in Korea' to commemorate the proclamation of the '2025-2026 Visit Gangwon Year'. Provided by Gangwon Tourism Foundation

- How do you assess the current status of attracting foreign tourists?

"From January to September 2025, Gangwon attracted 645,000 foreign tourists, a 6.2% increase compared to the same period last year. Inbound tourism began to rebound in earnest from the second quarter. The Greater China region remains the largest market, holding the top spot, while Southeast Asia is in second place. Notably, Japan showed a marked recovery with about 7,000 visitors in August 2025. This is the result of joint marketing efforts by the province, the foundation, and the 18 cities and counties for the '2025-2026 Visit Gangwon Year.' We have also expanded our global network through the 'Visit Gangwon Promotion Ambassador Strategy,' carrying out sales missions at major expos such as ITB Berlin in Germany and TTE in Taiwan."

- What is the Gangwon Tourism Foundation’s vision for the future?

"The foundation is pursuing its initiatives based on four strategic directions and eight key tasks, ultimately aiming to become a global tourism expert organization that contributes to 'revitalizing Gangwon’s economy through tourism.' We are particularly focused on diversifying regionally specialized content, promoting local consumption through stay-based content, and strengthening regional balanced development by enhancing tourism competitiveness in border and former mining areas. Gangwon is now becoming the center of the 'Pause in Everyday Life, the Capital Region Gangwon Era,' connected to the Seoul metropolitan area. With the belief that tourism succeeds when our residents are happy, the foundation will continue to expand experiential programs so that Gangwon can become a true space for healing and recovery. As a result, the foundation has achieved an S grade in public institution management evaluations for four consecutive years, and the CEO has received an S grade for two consecutive years. We will continue to move forward to make Gangwon a place where everyday life is a journey for everyone, together with our residents. We will always welcome you to Gangwon with kindness and warmth."

◆Profile: Choi Seonghyun, CEO of Gangwon Tourism Foundation

▲Born in 1965 ▲Graduated from Chuncheon Middle School, Gangwon High School, and the Graduate School of Business at Kangwon National University ▲9th Gangwon Provincial Council Member ▲Preliminary candidate for the 21st National Assembly in Chuncheon, Gangwon ▲Senior Vice Chairman, World Vision Chuncheon Comprehensive Welfare Center ▲Former People Power Party candidate for Mayor of Chuncheon ▲Advisory Committee Member, 20th Presidential Transition Committee ▲Appointed CEO of Gangwon Tourism Foundation in 2023